Methods and apparatus to redirect internet clients for media monitoring

ABSTRACT

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed to redirect internet clients for media monitoring. An example apparatus disclosed herein includes a wireless communication controller to establish a plurality of connections to a WI-FI router, the plurality of connections corresponding to simulated WI-FI clients, and a client interface to identify a connection of a WI-FI client to the apparatus and route network traffic of the WI-FI client to the WI-FI router via the plurality of connections.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates generally to media monitoring, and, moreparticularly, to methods and apparatus to redirect internet clients formedia monitoring.

BACKGROUND

Media providers and/or other entities such as advertising companies,broadcast networks, etc. are often interested in the viewing, listening,and/or media behavior of audience members and/or public in general. Themedia usage and/or exposure habits of monitored audience members, aswell as demographic data about the audience members, are collected andused to statistically determine the size and demographics of an audienceof interest. In recent years, media devices have been provided withInternet connectivity and the ability to retrieve media from theInternet. As such, media exposure has shifted away from conventionalmethods of presentation such as broadcast television, towardspresentation via consumer devices accessing media via the Internet

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example environment in which theteachings of this disclosure may be implemented.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example implementation of the streamingmeter of FIG. 1

FIGS. 3-4 are flowcharts representative of machine readable instructionswhich may be executed to implement the example streaming meter of FIGS.1 and/or 2.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example processing platform structuredto execute the instructions of FIGS. 3-4 to implement the examplestreaming meter of FIGS. 1 and/or 2.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example software distribution platformto distribute software (e.g., software corresponding to the examplecomputer readable instructions of FIGS. 3-4) to client devices such asconsumers (e.g., for license, sale and/or use), retailers (e.g., forsale, re-sale, license, and/or sub-license), and/or original equipmentmanufacturers (OEMs) (e.g., for inclusion in products to be distributedto, for example, retailers and/or to direct buy customers).

The figures are not to scale. Instead, the thickness of the layers orregions may be enlarged in the drawings. In general, the same referencenumbers will be used throughout the drawing(s) and accompanying writtendescription to refer to the same or like parts.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, descriptors such as “first,”“second,” “third,” etc. are used herein without imputing or otherwiseindicating any meaning of priority, physical order, arrangement in alist, and/or ordering in any way, but are merely used as labels and/orarbitrary names to distinguish elements for ease of understanding thedisclosed examples. In some examples, the descriptor “first” may be usedto refer to an element in the detailed description, while the sameelement may be referred to in a claim with a different descriptor suchas “second” or “third.” In such instances, it should be understood thatsuch descriptors are used merely for identifying those elementsdistinctly that might, for example, otherwise share a same name.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Media monitors can be installed into consenting households to monitormedia consumed in that household. With recent advances in Internettechnology, streaming media has become a major source of media forconsumers. Certain types of media monitors, called streaming meters,allow media streamed over a network (e.g., the Internet, etc.) to bemonitored. In some examples, streaming meters monitor home wirelessnetworks (e.g., WI-FI networks, etc.) to collect records of mediastreamed to media devices in the home. In some examples, streamingmeters use packet injection and false disassociation/deauthentication topassively monitor WI-FI traffic (e.g., by obtaining a Wi-Fi ProtectedAccess 2 (WPA2) session key, etc.).

As used herein, streaming refers to a transmission of an object in whichthe object is used by the destination before the entirety of the objectis received by the destination. For example, streaming media refers tothe transmission of a media object (e.g., a video file, an audio file,etc.), wherein presentation of the media object at a destination maybegin before the entirety of the media object is received by thedestination. While examples described herein refer to monitoringstreaming media, any type of media that travels via a wireless networksuch as a WI-FI network may be monitored in accordance with thisdisclosure.

Current streaming meter methods suffer from several problems that makemonitoring WI-FI traffic difficult. Firstly, WI-FI Access Pointsprotected management frames (e.g., as described in Institute ofElectrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11w) prevent thestreaming meter from forcibly disconnecting a WI-FI client using packetinjection, which further prevents the streaming meter from decoding theassociated WI-FI traffic. Secondly, future WI-FI security protocols(e.g., WPA3, etc.) may utilize encryption to prevent a third partydevice from obtaining session keys from traffic monitoring. In suchexamples, future WI-FI security protocols may only allow bandwidth usageto be determined by a snooping device and not allow for the collectionof details of wireless transactions. Thirdly, multiple input/multipleoutput (MIMO) configurations and multi-user multiple input/multipleoutput (MU-MIMO) configurations make determining the location of thestreaming meter more important in decoding the traffic. In someexamples, such configurations make reconstructing multiple signals intouseful data difficult.

Methods, apparatus and systems disclosed herein enable the monitoring ofWI-FI traffic using an alternate access point installed into a home withthe same network credentials (e.g., Service Set Identifier (SSID),password, etc.) as the home's primary access point. In some examplesdisclosed herein, the alternate access point is a streaming meter.Example techniques disclosed herein include generating substituteconnections to the home's primary access point such that the WI-FIconnections of the home's primary access point are exhausted. Disclosedexample techniques also include establishing a connection with clientdevices to provide the client devices with the WI-FI network of thealternate access point. Disclosed example techniques further includemonitoring traffic of the client devices for media monitoring.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example environment 100 in which theteachings of this disclosure may be implemented. In the illustratedexample, the environment 100 is a home of a consumer. In other examples,the environment 100 can be any area in which streaming media is viewed(e.g., public transit, a business, etc.). The example environment 100includes example client device(s) 102, an example alternate access point104, an example primary access point 106, and an example externalnetwork 108. In the illustrated example, the client device(s) 102 andthe alternate access point 104 establish an example first connection110. In some examples, the first connection 110 is a plurality ofconnections corresponding to the number of client device(s) 102. Forexample, the alternate access point 104 receives media requeststransmitted by the client device(s) 102 via the first connection 110. Inthe illustrated example of FIG. 1, the alternate access point 104 andthe primary access point 106 establish an example permanent connection112. The example alternate access point 104 and the example primaryaccess point 106 establish example substitute connections 114. Forexample, the alternate access point 104 routes connections of the clientdevice(s) 102 to the primary access point 106 via the permanentconnection 112.

In some examples, the client device(s) 102 are media streaming devices.For example, the client device(s) 102 are devices that retrieve mediafrom the external network 108 for presentation. In some examples, theclient device(s) 102 are capable of directly presenting media (e.g., viaa display). In other examples, the client device(s) 102 can present themedia on separate media presentation equipment (e.g., speakers, adisplay, etc.). Thus, the client device(s) 102 may or may not be able topresent media without assistance from a second device. In examplesdisclosed herein, the environment 100 can include any number of clientdevice(s) 102 (e.g., one client device, two client devices, etc.). Theexample client device(s) 102 are typically consumer electronics. Forexample, the client device(s) 102 can be Internet-enabled mobile devices(e.g., a smartphone, a portable music player, a portable video player,etc.), video game consoles, tablet computers, digital media players(e.g., digital video recorder, over-the-top devices, etc.), smarttelevisions, desktop computers, laptop computers, servers, etc.

The example alternate access point 104 is a networking device thatfacilitates a connection between the client device(s) 102 and theprimary access point 106. In the illustrated example of FIG. 1, thealternate access point 104 has the same network credentials (e.g., thesame SSID and password, etc.) as the primary access point 106. In theillustrated example of FIG. 1, the alternate access point 104establishes the permanent connection 112 to the primary access point106. In the illustrated example, the alternate access point 104determines the total number of possible connections, N, of the primaryaccess point 106. For example, the alternate access point 104 determinesthe primary access point 106 can connect to six devices (e.g., N=6).

The example alternate access point 104 generates and establishes thesubstitute connections 114. For example, the alternate access point 104establishes N−1 substitute connections to the primary access point 106.That is, the alternate access point 104 exhausts the connections of theprimary access point 106. Thus, in some examples, the client device(s)102 do not connect to the primary access point 106 directly. In suchexamples, the alternate access point 104 routes network traffic of theclient device(s) 102 to the primary access point 106 via the permanentconnection 112. In some examples, if the alternate access point 104fails (e.g., a power failure, malfunctions etc.), the client device(s)102 automatically connect to the primary access point 106.

In some examples, the alternate access point 104 is a hardware deviceprovided by a monitoring agency (e.g., a monitoring element of a mediaprovider, an independent monitoring entity, etc.). That is, in someexamples, the alternate access point 104 is a streaming meter. In someexamples, the alternate access point 104 monitors the traffic of theclient device(s) 102. In such examples, the example first connection 110can include the media requests. In some examples, the alternate accesspoint 104 creates records of media transmitted to the client device(s)102 via the alternate access point 104. In some examples, the examplealternate access point 104 can also be physically connected to one ormore media devices (e.g., via an ethernet connection, etc.). In suchexamples, the alternate access point 104 can also monitor traffictransmitted via the physical connection.

The example primary access point 106 is a networking device thatfacilitates connection between the alternate access point 104 and theexternal network 108. In some examples, the primary access point 106 isa hardware device provided by an internet provider of the environment100. In some examples, the primary access point 106 can be connected toa router (e.g., a WI-FI router). In other examples, the primary accesspoint 106 can be integrated into a router. In the illustrated example ofFIG. 1, the primary access point 106 communicates with the clientdevice(s) 102 via the alternate access point 104.

The example external network 108 is an example network that extends overan area larger than the environment 100. For example, the externalnetwork 108 can include the Internet, a wide-area network (WAN), etc.The example external network 108 allows the client device(s) 102 toconnect to a web-location that contains media (e.g., a server associatedwith a streaming service, etc.). In such examples, the external network108 can facilitate the transmission of the media to the client device(s)102 via the alternate access point 104 and/or the primary access point106.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example implementation of the alternateaccess point 104 of FIG. 1. The example alternate access point 104includes an example client interface 202, an example traffic monitor204, an example substitute client generator 206, an example router 208,and an example media monitor 210.

The example client interface 202 receives wireless transmissionstransmitted within its detection range and transmits wireless signalsfrom the alternate access point 104 to the client device(s) 102 (FIG.1). For example, the client interface 202 receives transmissions fromthe client device(s) 102. That is, the client interface 202 facilitatesstandard communication with the client device(s) 102. In some examples,the client interface 202 configures the network credentials (e.g., theSSID, the password, etc.) of the alternate access point 104. Forexample, the client interface 202 receives instructions to change theSSID and password of the alternate access point 104 to that of theprimary access point 106. In other examples, the client interface 202configures any other suitable characteristics of the alternate accesspoint 104.

The example traffic monitor 204 monitors the traffic of the primaryaccess point 106 (FIG. 1). In some examples, the traffic monitor 204queries the router 208 to determine the network addresses of packetstransmitted and/or intercepted via the alternate access point 104. Forexample, the traffic monitor 204 determines identifiers (e.g., a MACaddress, an SSID, etc.) in the connections between the client device(s)102 and the alternate access point 104 (e.g., the first connection 110)that indicate the identity of the client device(s) 102. Additionally oralternatively, the traffic monitor 204 determines identifiers in theconnections between the primary access point 106 and the alternateaccess point 104 (e.g., the permanent connection 112 of FIG. 1, thesubstitute connections 114 of FIG. 1, etc.) that indicate the identityof the primary access point 106. In some examples, the traffic monitor204 analyzes traffic transmitted via the alternate access point 104. Insuch examples, the traffic monitor 204 identifies traffic related tomedia requests from streaming services. In some examples, the trafficmonitor 204 can also monitor traffic transmitted over one or morephysical connections.

The example substitute client generator 206 generates substitute clientsto be transmitted by the router 208 to the primary access point 106. Forexample, the substitute client generator 206 generates simulated WI-FIclients to connect to the primary access point 106. For example, thesubstitute client generator 206 generates a first packet to establishthe permanent connection 112 between the alternate access point 104 andthe primary access point 106. In examples disclosed herein, thesubstitute client generator 206 determines the number of possibleconnections, N, the primary access point 106 can make based on thepermanent connection 112. For example, the substitute client generator206 queries the primary access point 106 via the permanent connection112. The substitute client generator 206 determines a number ofsubstitute clients to generate based on the number of possibleconnections. For example, the substitute client generator 206 determinesto generate N−1 substitute clients to establish the substituteconnections 114. In such examples, the substitute client generator 206generates N−1 packets to establish N−1 substitute connections (e.g., thesubstitute connections 114) between the alternate access point 104 andthe primary access point 106.

The example router 208 is used for communications with WI-FI clients(e.g., the client device(s) 102) and to enable the alternate accesspoint 104 with conventional access point functionalities. For example,the router 208 can direct data packets received via the client interface202 and/or external network 108 to their intended destinations. In suchexamples, the router 208 can detect a network address embedded in thepacket to determine the destination of the packet. In some examples, thetraffic monitor 204 and/or the media monitor 210 can interface with therouter 208 to receive the network address. In some examples, the router208 includes any number of individual routers configured to specificWI-FI transmission bands (e.g., 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, etc.).

The example media monitor 210 analyzes media requests transmitted viathe alternate access point 104. For example, the media monitor 210extracts information from a media request (e.g., a request to streammedia from a streaming service, etc.) that includes media identifyinginformation. In some examples, the media monitor 210 extracts awatermark and/or generates a fingerprint based on the transmitted mediarequest. In some examples, the media monitor 210 correlates thedestination of the media request (e.g., a particular streaming service,etc.) and the media request to identify the media associated with themedia request (e.g., via a look-up table, etc.). In some examples, themedia identifying information includes user identifying information. Insome examples, the media monitor 210 transmits the extracted mediaidentifying information to a central facility of an audience measuremententity. In such examples, the media monitor 210 can transmit the mediaidentifying information periodically or continuously. In some examples,the media monitor 210 stores the media identifying information on amemory associated with the alternate access point 104. In such examples,the media identifying information can manually be retrieved by atechnician associated with the audience measurement entity.

While an example manner of implementing the alternate access point 104of FIG. 1 is illustrated in FIG. 2, one or more of the elements,processes and/or devices illustrated in FIG. 2 may be combined, divided,re-arranged, omitted, eliminated and/or implemented in any other way.Further, the example client interface 202, the example traffic monitor204, the example substitute client generator 206, the example router208, the example media monitor 210 and/or, more generally, the examplealternate access point 104 of FIG. 2 may be implemented by hardware,software, firmware and/or any combination of hardware, software and/orfirmware. Thus, for example, any of the example client interface 202,the example traffic monitor 204, the example substitute client generator206, the example router 208, the example media monitor 210 and/or, moregenerally, the example alternate access point 104 could be implementedby one or more analog or digital circuit(s), logic circuits,programmable processor(s), programmable controller(s), graphicsprocessing unit(s) (GPU(s)), digital signal processor(s) (DSP(s)),application specific integrated circuit(s) (ASIC(s)), programmable logicdevice(s) (PLD(s)) and/or field programmable logic device(s) (FPLD(s)).When reading any of the apparatus or system claims of this patent tocover a purely software and/or firmware implementation, at least one ofthe example client interface 202, the example traffic monitor 204, theexample substitute client generator 206, the example router 208, theexample media monitor 210, and/or the example alternate access point 104is/are hereby expressly defined to include a non-transitory computerreadable storage device or storage disk such as a memory, a digitalversatile disk (DVD), a compact disk (CD), a Blu-ray disk, etc.including the software and/or firmware. Further still, the examplealternate access point 104 of FIG. 1 may include one or more elements,processes and/or devices in addition to, or instead of, thoseillustrated in FIG. 2, and/or may include more than one of any or all ofthe illustrated elements, processes and devices. As used herein, thephrase “in communication,” including variations thereof, encompassesdirect communication and/or indirect communication through one or moreintermediary components, and does not require direct physical (e.g.,wired) communication and/or constant communication, but ratheradditionally includes selective communication at periodic intervals,scheduled intervals, aperiodic intervals, and/or one-time events.

Flowcharts representative of example hardware logic, machine readableinstructions, hardware implemented state machines, and/or anycombination thereof for implementing the alternate access point 104 ofFIGS. 1 and/or 2 are shown in FIGS. 3-4. The machine readableinstructions may be one or more executable programs or portion(s) of anexecutable program for execution by a computer processor and/orprocessor circuitry, such as the processor 512 shown in the exampleprocessor platform 500 discussed below in connection with FIG. 5. Theprogram may be embodied in software stored on a non-transitory computerreadable storage medium such as a CD-ROM, a floppy disk, a hard drive, aDVD, a Blu-ray disk, or a memory associated with the processor 512, butthe entire program and/or parts thereof could alternatively be executedby a device other than the processor 512 and/or embodied in firmware ordedicated hardware. Further, although the example program is describedwith reference to the flowcharts illustrated in FIGS. 3-4, many othermethods of implementing the example alternate access point 104 mayalternatively be used. For example, the order of execution of the blocksmay be changed, and/or some of the blocks described may be changed,eliminated, or combined. Additionally or alternatively, any or all ofthe blocks may be implemented by one or more hardware circuits (e.g.,discrete and/or integrated analog and/or digital circuitry, an FPGA, anASIC, a comparator, an operational-amplifier (op-amp), a logic circuit,etc.) structured to perform the corresponding operation withoutexecuting software or firmware. The processor circuitry may bedistributed in different network locations and/or local to one or moredevices (e.g., a multi-core processor in a single machine, multipleprocessors distributed across a server rack, etc.).

The machine readable instructions described herein may be stored in oneor more of a compressed format, an encrypted format, a fragmentedformat, a compiled format, an executable format, a packaged format, etc.Machine readable instructions as described herein may be stored as dataor a data structure (e.g., portions of instructions, code,representations of code, etc.) that may be utilized to create,manufacture, and/or produce machine executable instructions. Forexample, the machine readable instructions may be fragmented and storedon one or more storage devices and/or computing devices (e.g., servers)located at the same or different locations of a network or collection ofnetworks (e.g., in the cloud, in edge devices, etc.). The machinereadable instructions may require one or more of installation,modification, adaptation, updating, combining, supplementing,configuring, decryption, decompression, unpacking, distribution,reassignment, compilation, etc. in order to make them directly readable,interpretable, and/or executable by a computing device and/or othermachine. For example, the machine readable instructions may be stored inmultiple parts, which are individually compressed, encrypted, and storedon separate computing devices, wherein the parts when decrypted,decompressed, and combined form a set of executable instructions thatimplement one or more functions that may together form a program such asthat described herein.

In another example, the machine readable instructions may be stored in astate in which they may be read by processor circuitry, but requireaddition of a library (e.g., a dynamic link library (DLL)), a softwaredevelopment kit (SDK), an application programming interface (API), etc.in order to execute the instructions on a particular computing device orother device. In another example, the machine readable instructions mayneed to be configured (e.g., settings stored, data input, networkaddresses recorded, etc.) before the machine readable instructionsand/or the corresponding program(s) can be executed in whole or in part.Thus, machine readable media, as used herein, may include machinereadable instructions and/or program(s) regardless of the particularformat or state of the machine readable instructions and/or program(s)when stored or otherwise at rest or in transit.

The machine readable instructions described herein can be represented byany past, present, or future instruction language, scripting language,programming language, etc. For example, the machine readableinstructions may be represented using any of the following languages: C,C++, Java, C#, Perl, Python, JavaScript, HyperText Markup Language(HTML), Structured Query Language (SQL), Swift, etc.

As mentioned above, the example processes of FIGS. 3-4 may beimplemented using executable instructions (e.g., computer and/or machinereadable instructions) stored on a non-transitory computer and/ormachine readable medium such as a hard disk drive, a flash memory, aread-only memory, a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a cache, arandom-access memory and/or any other storage device or storage disk inwhich information is stored for any duration (e.g., for extended timeperiods, permanently, for brief instances, for temporarily buffering,and/or for caching of the information). As used herein, the termnon-transitory computer readable medium is expressly defined to includeany type of computer readable storage device and/or storage disk and toexclude propagating signals and to exclude transmission media.

“Including” and “comprising” (and all forms and tenses thereof) are usedherein to be open ended terms. Thus, whenever a claim employs any formof “include” or “comprise” (e.g., comprises, includes, comprising,including, having, etc.) as a preamble or within a claim recitation ofany kind, it is to be understood that additional elements, terms, etc.may be present without falling outside the scope of the correspondingclaim or recitation. As used herein, when the phrase “at least” is usedas the transition term in, for example, a preamble of a claim, it isopen-ended in the same manner as the term “comprising” and “including”are open ended. The term “and/or” when used, for example, in a form suchas A, B, and/or C refers to any combination or subset of A, B, C such as(1) A alone, (2) B alone, (3) C alone, (4) A with B, (5) A with C, (6) Bwith C, and (7) A with B and with C. As used herein in the context ofdescribing structures, components, items, objects and/or things, thephrase “at least one of A and B” is intended to refer to implementationsincluding any of (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, and (3) atleast one A and at least one B. Similarly, as used herein in the contextof describing structures, components, items, objects and/or things, thephrase “at least one of A or B” is intended to refer to implementationsincluding any of (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, and (3) atleast one A and at least one B. As used herein in the context ofdescribing the performance or execution of processes, instructions,actions, activities and/or steps, the phrase “at least one of A and B”is intended to refer to implementations including any of (1) at leastone A, (2) at least one B, and (3) at least one A and at least one B.Similarly, as used herein in the context of describing the performanceor execution of processes, instructions, actions, activities and/orsteps, the phrase “at least one of A or B” is intended to refer toimplementations including any of (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B,and (3) at least one A and at least one B.

As used herein, singular references (e.g., “a”, “an”, “first”, “second”,etc.) do not exclude a plurality. The term “a” or “an” entity, as usedherein, refers to one or more of that entity. The terms “a” (or “an”),“one or more”, and “at least one” can be used interchangeably herein.Furthermore, although individually listed, a plurality of means,elements or method actions may be implemented by, e.g., a single unit orprocessor. Additionally, although individual features may be included indifferent examples or claims, these may possibly be combined, and theinclusion in different examples or claims does not imply that acombination of features is not feasible and/or advantageous.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart representative of machine-readable instructionswhich may be executed to implement the example alternate access point104 of FIGS. 1 and/or 2. The example process 300 of the illustratedexample of FIG. 3 begins at block 302, at which the example clientinterface 202 (FIG. 2) configures the network credentials of thealternate access point 104 to be the same as the primary access point106 (FIG. 1). For example, the client interface 202 can receive the SSIDand password from the household associated with the primary access point106. In some examples, a technician installing the alternate accesspoint 104 can ask a member of the household for the password. In suchexamples, the technician can provide the network credentials to thealternate access point 104 via the client interface 202. In otherexamples, the client interface 202 can configure any other suitablecredentials of the alternate access point 104. In other examples, theclient interface 202 can receive network credentials (e.g., the SSIDand/or password) by any other suitable means.

The example router 208 (FIG. 2) establishes a connection to the primaryaccess point 106 (FIG. 1) (block 304). For example, the router 208establishes the example permanent connection 112 (FIG. 1) between thealternate access point 104 and the primary access point 106. The examplesubstitute client generator 206 (FIG. 2) determines a number ofconnections, N (block 306). For example, the substitute client generator306 queries the primary access point 106 to determine the number ofpossible connections the primary access point 106 can make.

The example substitute client generator 206 establishes substituteconnections to the primary access point 106 (block 308). For example,the substitute client generator 206 establishes N−1 substituteconnections between the alternate access point 104 and the primaryaccess point 106. That is, the substitute client generator 206establishes the substitute connections 114 (FIG. 1). The example clientinterface 202 establishes a connection with client device(s) 102 (block310). For example, the client interface 202 establishes the firstconnection 110 (FIG. 1) between the client device(s) 102 and thealternate access point 104.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart representative of machine-readable instructionswhich may be executed to implement the example alternate access point104 of FIGS. 1 and/or 2. The example process 400 of the illustratedexample of FIG. 4 begins at block 402, at which the traffic monitor 204(FIG. 2) detects a connection from the client device(s) 102 (FIG. 1).For example, the traffic monitor 204 detects the first connection 110(FIG. 1). The example router 208 routes the connection to the primaryaccess point 106 (FIG. 1) via the permanent connection 112 (FIG. 1)(block 404). For example, the router 208 directs data packets from theclient device(s) 102 to the primary access point 106 via the permanentconnection 112.

The example traffic monitor 204 detects a media request from the clientdevice(s) 102 (block 406). For example, the traffic monitor 204 detectsa request transmitted to a streaming service via the alternate accesspoint 104. In other examples, the traffic monitor 204 can detect a mediarequest by any other suitable method.

The example media monitor 210 (FIG. 2) extracts media identifyinginformation from media request (block 408). For example, the mediamonitor 210 can extract a media identifier from the media request. Insome examples, the media monitor 210 can extract other information fromthe media request (e.g., demographic information associated with a userof the client device(s) 102, a timestamp related to the media request,etc.).

The example router 208 (FIG. 2) transmits media identifying informationto the audience measurement entity (block 410). For example, the router208 can cause the media identifying information to be transmitted viaany suitable means (e.g., wireless, cellular, etc.). Additionally oralternatively, the media identifying information can be stored on amemory associated with the alternate access point 104. In such examples,the media identifying information can be retrieved from the alternateaccess point 104 by a technician associated with the audiencemeasurement entity.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example processor platform 500structured to execute the instructions of FIGS. 3-4 to implement thealternate access point 104 of FIGS. 1 and/or 2. The processor platform500 can be, for example, a server, a personal computer, a workstation, aself-learning machine (e.g., a neural network), a mobile device (e.g., acell phone, a smart phone, a tablet such as an iPad™), a personaldigital assistant (PDA), an Internet appliance, a DVD player, a CDplayer, a digital video recorder, a Blu-ray player, a gaming console, apersonal video recorder, a set top box, a headset or other wearabledevice, or any other type of computing device.

The processor platform 500 of the illustrated example includes aprocessor 512. The processor 512 of the illustrated example is hardware.For example, the processor 512 can be implemented by one or moreintegrated circuits, logic circuits, microprocessors, GPUs, DSPs, orcontrollers from any desired family or manufacturer. The hardwareprocessor may be a semiconductor based (e.g., silicon based) device. Inthis example, the processor implements the example client interface 202,the example traffic monitor 204, the example substitute client generator206, the example router 208, and the example media monitor 210.

The processor 512 of the illustrated example includes a local memory 513(e.g., a cache). The processor 512 of the illustrated example is incommunication with a main memory including a volatile memory 514 and anon-volatile memory 516 via a bus 518. The volatile memory 514 may beimplemented by Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM), DynamicRandom Access Memory (DRAM), RAMBUS® Dynamic Random Access Memory(RDRAM®) and/or any other type of random access memory device. Thenon-volatile memory 516 may be implemented by flash memory and/or anyother desired type of memory device. Access to the main memory 514, 516is controlled by a memory controller.

The processor platform 500 of the illustrated example also includes aninterface circuit 520. The interface circuit 520 may be implemented byany type of interface standard, such as an Ethernet interface, auniversal serial bus (USB), a Bluetooth® interface, a near fieldcommunication (NFC) interface, and/or a PCI express interface.

In the illustrated example, one or more input devices 522 are connectedto the interface circuit 520. The input device(s) 522 permit(s) a userto enter data and/or commands into the processor 512. The inputdevice(s) can be implemented by, for example, an audio sensor, amicrophone, a camera (still or video), a keyboard, a button, a mouse, atouchscreen, a track-pad, a trackball, isopoint and/or a voicerecognition system.

One or more output devices 524 are also connected to the interfacecircuit 520 of the illustrated example. The output devices 524 can beimplemented, for example, by display devices (e.g., a light emittingdiode (LED), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD), a cathode ray tube display (CRT), an in-place switching(IPS) display, a touchscreen, etc.), a tactile output device, a printerand/or speaker. The interface circuit 520 of the illustrated example,thus, typically includes a graphics driver card, a graphics driver chipand/or a graphics driver processor.

The interface circuit 520 of the illustrated example also includes acommunication device such as a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver, amodem, a residential gateway, a wireless access point, and/or a networkinterface to facilitate exchange of data with external machines (e.g.,computing devices of any kind) via a network 526. The communication canbe via, for example, an Ethernet connection, a digital subscriber line(DSL) connection, a telephone line connection, a coaxial cable system, asatellite system, a line-of-site wireless system, a cellular telephonesystem, etc.

The processor platform 500 of the illustrated example also includes oneor more mass storage devices 528 for storing software and/or data.Examples of such mass storage devices 528 include floppy disk drives,hard drive disks, compact disk drives, Blu-ray disk drives, redundantarray of independent disks (RAID) systems, and digital versatile disk(DVD) drives.

The machine executable instructions 532 of FIGS. 3-4 may be stored inthe mass storage device 528, in the volatile memory 514, in thenon-volatile memory 516, and/or on a removable non-transitory computerreadable storage medium such as a CD or DVD.

A block diagram illustrating an example software distribution platform605 to distribute software such as the example computer readableinstructions 532 of FIG. 5 to third parties is illustrated in FIG. 6.The example software distribution platform 605 may be implemented by anycomputer server, data facility, cloud service, etc., capable of storingand transmitting software to other computing devices. The third partiesmay be customers of the entity owning and/or operating the softwaredistribution platform. For example, the entity that owns and/or operatesthe software distribution platform may be a developer, a seller, and/ora licensor of software such as the example computer readableinstructions 532 of FIG. 5. The third parties may be consumers, users,retailers, OEMs, etc., who purchase and/or license the software for useand/or re-sale and/or sub-licensing. In the illustrated example, thesoftware distribution platform 605 includes one or more servers and oneor more storage devices. The storage devices store the computer readableinstructions 532, which may correspond to the example computer readableinstructions of FIGS. 3-4, as described above. The one or more serversof the example software distribution platform 605 are in communicationwith a network 610, which may correspond to any one or more of theInternet and/or any of the example networks 108, 526 described above. Insome examples, the one or more servers are responsive to requests totransmit the software to a requesting party as part of a commercialtransaction. Payment for the delivery, sale and/or license of thesoftware may be handled by the one or more servers of the softwaredistribution platform and/or via a third party payment entity. Theservers enable purchasers and/or licensors to download the computerreadable instructions 532 from the software distribution platform 605.For example, the software, which may correspond to the example computerreadable instructions of FIGS. 3-4, may be downloaded to the exampleprocessor platform 500, which is to execute the computer readableinstructions 532 to implement the alternate access point 104. In someexample, one or more servers of the software distribution platform 605periodically offer, transmit, and/or force updates to the software(e.g., the example computer readable instructions 532 of FIG. 5) toensure improvements, patches, updates, etc. are distributed and appliedto the software at the end user devices.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that example methods,apparatus and articles of manufacture have been disclosed that allowmonitoring of Wi-Fi traffic using an alternate access point. The examplemethods, apparatus and articles of manufacture capture all Wi-Fi trafficthat would be routed through the primary access point without needing todecode the traffic. Additionally, because the alternate access pointuses the same network credentials as the primary access point, it istransparent to users when they are moved to another access point.Additionally, if the alternate access point malfunctions, the clientdevice will automatically connect to the primary access point.

Example methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture toredirect internet clients for media monitoring are disclosed herein.Further examples and combinations thereof include the following:

Example 1 includes an apparatus comprising a wireless communicationcontroller to establish a plurality of connections to a WI-FI router,the plurality of connections corresponding to simulated WI-FI clients,and a client interface to identify a connection of a WI-FI client to theapparatus, and route network traffic of the WI-FI client to the WI-FIrouter via the plurality of connections.

Example 2 includes the apparatus of example 1, wherein the plurality ofconnections includes a first connection, and further including asubstitute client generator to query the WI-FI router via the firstconnection.

Example 3 includes the apparatus of example 2, wherein the substituteclient generator is to determine the plurality of connections is oneless than a total number of possible connections of the WI-FI routerbased on the query.

Example 4 includes the apparatus of example 1, wherein the WI-FI clientis not able to connect to the WI-FI router.

Example 5 includes the apparatus of example 1, wherein the clientinterface is to configure the apparatus to have the same networkcredentials as the WI-FI router.

Example 6 includes the apparatus of example 5, wherein the networkcredentials include a service set identifier (SSID) and a password.

Example 7 includes the apparatus of example 1, further including atraffic monitor to identify a media request transmitted from the WI-FIclient.

Example 8 includes the apparatus of example 7, further including a mediamonitor to extract media identifying information from the media request,and transmit the media identifying information to an audiencemeasurement entity.

Example 9 includes at least one non-transitory computer readable mediumcomprising instructions that, when executed, cause at least oneprocessor to at least establish a plurality of connections to a WI-FIrouter, the plurality of connections corresponding to simulated WI-FIclients, identify a connection of a WI-FI client to an apparatus, androute network traffic of the WI-FI client to the WI-FI router via theplurality of connections.

Example 10 includes the at least one non-transitory computer readablemedium of example 9, wherein the plurality of connections includes afirst connection, and the instructions, when executed, cause the atleast one processor to query the WI-FI router via the first connection.

Example 11 includes the at least one non-transitory computer readablemedium of example 10, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause theat least one processor to determine the plurality of connections is oneless than a total number of possible connections of the WI-FI routerbased on the query.

Example 12 includes the at least one non-transitory computer readablemedium of example 9, wherein the WI-FI client is not able to connect tothe WI-FI router.

Example 13 includes the at least one non-transitory computer readablemedium of example 9, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause theat least one processor to configure the apparatus to have the samenetwork credentials as the WI-FI router.

Example 14 includes the at least one non-transitory computer readablemedium of example 13, wherein the network credentials include a serviceset identifier (SSID) and a password.

Example 15 includes the at least one non-transitory computer readablemedium of example 9, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause theat least one processor to identify a media request transmitted from theWI-FI client.

Example 16 includes the at least one non-transitory computer readablemedium of example 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause theat least one processor to extract media identifying information from themedia request, and transmit the media identifying information to anaudience measurement entity.

Example 17 includes an apparatus comprising at least one storage device,and processor circuitry to establish a plurality of connections to aWI-FI router, the plurality of connections corresponding to simulatedWI-FI clients, identify a connection of a WI-FI client to the apparatus,and route network traffic of the WI-FI client to the WI-FI router viathe plurality of connections.

Example 18 includes the apparatus of example 17, wherein the pluralityof connections includes a first connection, and the processor circuitryis to query the WI-FI router via the first connection.

Example 19 includes the apparatus of example 18, wherein the processorcircuitry is to determine the plurality of connections is one less thana total number of possible connections of the WI-FI router based on thequery.

Example 20 includes the apparatus of example 17, wherein the WI-FIclient is not able to connect to the WI-FI router.

Example 21 includes the apparatus of example 17, wherein the processorcircuitry is to configure the apparatus to have the same networkcredentials as the WI-FI router.

Example 22 includes the apparatus of example 21, wherein the networkcredentials include a service set identifier (SSID) and a password.

Example 23 includes the apparatus of example 17, wherein the processorcircuitry is to identify a media request transmitted from the WI-FIclient.

Example 24 includes the apparatus of example 23, wherein the processorcircuitry is to extract media identifying information from the mediarequest, and transmit the media identifying information to an audiencemeasurement entity.

Example 25 includes a method comprising establishing a plurality ofconnections to a WI-FI router, the plurality of connectionscorresponding to simulated WI-FI clients, identifying a connection of aWI-FI client to an apparatus, and routing network traffic of the WI-FIclient to the WI-FI router via the plurality of connections.

Example 26 includes the method of example 25, wherein the plurality ofconnections includes a first connection, and further including queryingthe WI-FI router via the first connection.

Example 27 includes the method of example 26, further includingdetermining the plurality of connections is one less than a total numberof possible connections of the WI-FI router based on the query.

Example 28 includes the method of example 25, wherein the WI-FI clientis not able to connect to the WI-FI router.

Example 29 includes the method of example 25, further includingconfiguring the apparatus to have the same network credentials as theWI-FI router.

Example 30 includes the method of example 29, wherein the networkcredentials include a service set identifier (SSID) and a password.

Example 31 includes the method of example 25, further includingidentifying a media request transmitted from the WI-FI client.

Example 32 includes the method of example 31, further includingextracting media identifying information from the media request, andtransmitting the media identifying information to an audiencemeasurement entity.

Although certain example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacturehave been disclosed herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is notlimited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all methods,apparatus and articles of manufacture fairly falling within the scope ofthe claims of this patent.

The following claims are hereby incorporated into this DetailedDescription by this reference, with each claim standing on its own as aseparate embodiment of the present disclosure.

1. An apparatus comprising: a wireless communication controller toestablish a plurality of connections to a WI-FI router, the plurality ofconnections corresponding to simulated WI-FI clients; and a clientinterface to: identify a connection of a WI-FI client to the apparatus;and route network traffic of the WI-FI client to the WI-FI router viathe plurality of connections.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theplurality of connections includes a first connection, and furtherincluding a substitute client generator to query the WI-FI router viathe first connection.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein thesubstitute client generator is to determine the plurality of connectionsis one less than a total number of possible connections of the WI-FIrouter based on the query.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theWI-FI client is not able to connect to the WI-FI router.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the client interface is to configure theapparatus to have the same network credentials as the WI-FI router. 6.(canceled)
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a trafficmonitor to identify a media request transmitted from the WI-FI client.8. The apparatus of claim 7, further including a media monitor to:extract media identifying information from the media request; andtransmit the media identifying information to an audience measuremententity.
 9. At least one non-transitory computer readable mediumcomprising instructions that, when executed, cause at least oneprocessor to at least: establish a plurality of connections to a WI-FIrouter, the plurality of connections corresponding to simulated WI-FIclients; identify a connection of a WI-FI client to an apparatus; androute network traffic of the WI-FI client to the WI-FI router via theplurality of connections.
 10. The at least one non-transitory computerreadable medium of claim 9, wherein the plurality of connectionsincludes a first connection, and the instructions, when executed, causethe at least one processor to query the WI-FI router via the firstconnection.
 11. The at least one non-transitory computer readable mediumof claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the at leastone processor to determine the plurality of connections is one less thana total number of possible connections of the WI-FI router based on thequery.
 12. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium ofclaim 9, wherein the WI-FI client is not able to connect to the WI-FIrouter.
 13. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium ofclaim 9, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the at least oneprocessor to configure the apparatus to have the same networkcredentials as the WI-FI router.
 14. (canceled)
 15. The at least onenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein theinstructions, when executed, cause the at least one processor toidentify a media request transmitted from the WI-FI client.
 16. The atleast one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, whereinthe instructions, when executed, cause the at least one processor to:extract media identifying information from the media request; andtransmit the media identifying information to an audience measuremententity.
 17. An apparatus comprising: at least one storage device; andprocessor circuitry to: establish a plurality of connections to a WI-FIrouter, the plurality of connections corresponding to simulated WI-FIclients; identify a connection of a WI-FI client to the apparatus; androute network traffic of the WI-FI client to the WI-FI router via theplurality of connections.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein theplurality of connections includes a first connection, and the processorcircuitry is to query the WI-FI router via the first connection.
 19. Theapparatus of claim 18, wherein the processor circuitry is to determinethe plurality of connections is one less than a total number of possibleconnections of the WI-FI router based on the query.
 20. (canceled) 21.The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processor circuitry is toconfigure the apparatus to have the same network credentials as theWI-FI router.
 22. (canceled)
 23. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein theprocessor circuitry is to identify a media request transmitted from theWI-FI client.
 24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the processorcircuitry is to: extract media identifying information from the mediarequest; and transmit the media identifying information to an audiencemeasurement entity. 25.-32. (canceled)